Today’s News

First Look: Grimm Tidings for the Holidays

Why would anyone in their right mind ever move to Portland? Grimm premieres two back-to-back episodes on Friday, Dec. 13 (9/8c and 10/9c on NBC), the first of which, "Cold Blooded," finds the Oregon city facing yet another supernatural crisis. This time it's the sewers. They're loaded with voracious humanoid alligators!

"Usually we put a twist on a centuries-old fairy tale, but this time we're taking on a modern urban legend and mixing it with Dungeons & Dragons," says Russell Hornsby, who plays Lt. Hank Griffin. "Nick [David Giuntoli] and Hank go down below the city like warriors ready for battle. Nick has this special arm shield that Grimms used against these creatures in olden times. Hank's doing it 21st-century style. For someone who grew up loving The Goonies and Star Wars, playing scenes like that really brings out the kid in me!"

The second episode, "Twelve Days of Krampus," features a towering horned demon in a Santa suit who terrorizes Portland's juvenile delinquents (pictured above). First he whips the brats because they've been naughty, and then he takes them hostage. At one point, Nick and Hank think they've found this crazed Kringle selling hot dogs to holiday revelers in the town square, and they proceed to punch his lights out. But it's the wrong guy.

"There are all sorts of witnesses to the incident, and they capture it on their cell phones," says Hornsby, before adding with a laugh, "Most of the horrible stuff that happens in this town — zombies, witches, werewolves — never seems to hit the media, and all the great work the police do stays under the radar. But Nick and Hank beating up Santa Claus? It makes the evening news!"